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A member of the grape family, porcelain vine (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) is a sprawling deciduous vine that may grow up to 25 feet long, producing three-lobed leaves and clusters of green blooms. What sets the vine apart from other plants are its showy, round berries, which shift in color as they mature to luminous shades of turquoise, lilac and blue. Porcelain berries are considered edible, though they may be more valuable as ornamental elements on the vine.

All About Edibility

Porcelain vine berries are edible raw or cooked, though they are described as "not very palatable" on the Plants for a Future website. The vine's leaf buds, leaves and stems are also edible when cooked. Do not sample the berries from the wild unless you are completely confident you identified porcelain vine correctly. Wash the berries before eating them, and avoid eating the berries from gardens, where they may have been contaminated with herbicide or pesticide.

Fruit Facts

Whether or not you plan to eat the fruits, you may want as many of the ornamental berries to emerge as possible. High-quality, fertile soil may reduce the plant's fruiting in favor of vigorous growth. Average, moderately moist garden soil is preferable to soil enhanced with fertilizer and organic material. In order to encourage maximum flowering and fruiting in a porcelain vine, restrict its root growth by placing the roots in a large container and then burying the container in soil.

Location, Location, Location

Porcelain vine is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Although the plant tolerates partial shade, it flowers and fruits best in a bright, sunny location, such as along a south-facing wall. According to the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States website, porcelain vine has been reported as an invasive species in some parts of the United States, including Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Prosperous Propagation

The vine may be propagated by eye cuttings, in which one bud is left at the top of the stem and a small amount of bark is removed from the bottom of the stem. Eye cuttings may be taken in late autumn or winter and planted in a pot in a cold-frame or greenhouse. Plant the vine in a permanent position the following autumn. Porcelain vine also may be propagated by seed, though germination may take more than one year, according to Plants for a Future.

About the Author

Michelle Wishhart is a writer based in Portland, Ore. She has been writing professionally since 2005, starting with her position as a staff arts writer for City on a Hill Press, an alternative weekly newspaper in Santa Cruz, Calif. An avid gardener, Wishhart worked as a Wholesale Nursery Grower at Encinal Nursery for two years. Wishhart holds a Bachelor of Arts in fine arts and English literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz.